Local News

OAKLAND (BCN) ― The mother of a 28-year-old construction worker who was gunned down in broad daylight in front of his West Oakland home this month is holding a vigil Sunday night to raise awareness about the need for more law enforcement protection in the area.

The 7 p.m. vigil is being held in front of the house, at 1103 Chester St., where Kenny Holowatch was shot multiple times June 12 at about 1:35 p.m.
 
He was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead at 1:44 p.m.

"He was born on Martin Luther King's birthday, and I always taught him nonviolence. It makes me sad that he died that way," his mother Lisa David said today while choking back tears.

Holowatch had been in the house that he shared with his girlfriend for less than two months when the shooting happened.

They were trying to get out of their lease because a couple weeks before Holowatch was killed their home had been broken into, David said.

They had been searching for another home, but with two dogs, the search was taking longer than anticipated.

Holowatch had been taking care of one of the dogs for his dad, who died of cancer in January 2008.

He moved from North Carolina to California to be closer to his mother after his father passed away.

"We knew it wasn't the safest neighborhood, but they were naive about how dangerous it was," said David, who lives in Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood.

After the break-in, Holowatch and his girlfriend started staying at friends' houses.

They only returned June 12 at 9 a.m. because someone was meeting them there to put bars up on their windows.

Two people came to the door while they were waiting that day saying they were looking for a woman they claimed owed them money.

The couple explained they didn't know the person they were looking for. The suspects insisted on entering the home.

"That is what is baffling ... why would somebody come in—commando style," David said.

"He was a sweet kid. He wasn't doing anything illegal. He just wanted a house ... It's just like we lost the heart of our family."

Holowatch's girlfriend ran after struggling with the suspects.

Holowatch was fighting with the suspects in the yard when he was shot.

"There is just a lot of things that could have happened that could have prevented it," David said, explaining that is why she wanted to have the vigil.

Both Holowatch and his girlfriend were trying to get through to 911 from their cell phones for 20 minutes, according to David. Meanwhile, as they waited in their house, the suspects came back with guns.

The couple tried the main Oakland Police Department phone number as well as 911. "They just couldn't get any help," David said.

She said neighbors who witnessed the struggle in front of the house also said the 911 line was busy.

Cell phone calls to 911 go directly to the California Highway Patrol, Oakland Police Department spokesmen Jeff Thomason said Sunday.

But 20 minutes seems like an exaggerated length of time for the CHP to respond to a 911 call and it seems especially long if they called the Police Department directly, he said.

Besides not being able to contact police quickly enough, David said she is concerned about possible law enforcement layoffs.

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums has said that the city's budget deficit may force him to cut some 140 police officers, but he is hoping to avoid such layoffs.

With the budget crisis, layoffs and work furlough days are a possibility, Thomason said.

"Chief Jordan is well aware of the budget crisis and how it is going to affect the Police Department. And we are working on plans to shift resources if we have to so that public safety is not effected."

It was Oakland's 46th homicide in 2009, Thomason said.

Crime Stoppers is offering a $10,000 reward for information
leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at (510) 293-7197.

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